one-upped; one-upping; one-ups
: to practice one-upmanship on
: being in a position of advantage
—usually used with on
Examples of one-up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
Joe Hendry posed and postured after one-upping Orton at every turn.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Both Jelly Roll and Bryan seemed humbled after watching these aspiring stars one-up them with their own songs.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
In an effort to impress her daughter — and one-up her daughter’s nanny — Davis decided to jump.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for one-up
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Verb
The two star as CIA agents and best friends who fall for the same woman (the miscast Witherspoon), and who constantly try to one-up and sabotage each other to win her affections.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
Joe Hendry posed and postured after one-upping Orton at every turn.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Both Jelly Roll and Bryan seemed humbled after watching these aspiring stars one-up them with their own songs.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
In an effort to impress her daughter — and one-up her daughter’s nanny — Davis decided to jump.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for one-up
Cite this Entry
“One-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-up. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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